The present invention relates to methods for selection and treatment of a garment with a refreshing, deodorizing and finishing composition, in order to improve various properties of garments, in particular, reduction or removal of unwanted wrinkles, odors, and the like. Also included is an article of manufacture containing a plurality of refreshing, deodorizing and finishing compositions in a plurality of disposable containers in association with instructions for their use in an apparatus.
There exists today a bewildering array of clothing styles. Likewise, an apparently endless selection of fabrics and materials is available to the garment industry, each fabric seemingly having unique care and treatment requirements. These care and treatment requirements are especially troubling for garments that are otherwise clean but have been used or are tired in appearance. Drycleaning a garments is costly and time consuming, but leaves the garment with a noticible unpleasant odor. Alternatively, ironing the article may seem to be a possible solution. However, the style or material the garment is made of may make ironing difficult or even cause irreversible damage to the garment.
Clearly, there is a need for a system of refreshing, deodorizing and finishing garements used or tired in appearance which takes in to account both the style and material(s) of the garment to produce a good appearance through a simple, convenient process.
The present invention relates to a prcoess for refreshing, deodorizing and finishing garements used or tired in appearance which takes in to account both the style and material(s) of the garment to produce a good appearance through a simple, convenient process.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a method for selection and treatment of a garment with a refreshing, deodorizing and finishing composition is provided. The method comprises at least of the steps of:
(a) identifying the apparel characteristics of said garment;
(b) identifying the finish desired for said garment; and
(c) identifying at least one refreshing, deodorizing and finishing composition appropriate for the apparel characteristics identified in (a) and the finish identified in (b) of said garment;
(d) selecting an appropriate refreshing, deodorizing and finishing composition; and
(e) treating said garment with an effective amount of the appropriate refreshing, deodorizing and finishing composition selected in (d).
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a garment in association with a garment care label is provided. The garment in association with a garment care label comprises a non-verbal visual cue, which assists in versioning said article in preparation for a treatment selected from the group consisting of soft finish and crisp finish.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, an article of manufacture for refreshing, deodorizing and finishing a garment in an apparatus is provided. The article comprises
(a) a first refreshing, deodorizing and finishing composition, wherein said first composition comprises:
(i) a carrier comprising water and optionally low molecular weight alcohols and polyols, more preferably ethanol, methanol, propanol and mixtures thereof;
(ii) an effective amount to absorb or reduce malodor, of odor control agent; and
(iii) an effective amount of a wrinkle reducing active, preferably a polymer comprising carboxylic acid moieties, (more preferably homopolymers);
wherein said composition has a pH of from about 3 to about 7 and a viscosity of less than about 100 cP;
(b) a first container, wherein said first composition is contained therein;
(c) a second refreshing, deodorizing and finishing composition, wherein said second composition comprises:
(i) a carrier comprising water and optionally low molecular weight alcohols and polyols, more preferably ethanol, methanol, propanol and mixtures thereof;
(ii) an effective amount to absorb or reduce malodor, of odor control agent; and
(iv) an effective amount of a fabric softener;
wherein said composition has a pH of from about 3 to about 11 and a viscosity of less than about 100 cP;
(d) a second container, wherein said second composition is contained therein;
(e) a set of instructions in association with said first and second containers comprising instruction to identify the apparel characteristics and finish desired of said garment, then treat said garment with whichever of said first or second composition is appropriate for the apparel characteristics and finish desired of said garment.
These and other aspects, features and advantages will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the following detailed description and the appended claims. All percentages, ratios and proportions herein are by weight, unless otherwise specified. All temperatures are in degrees Celsius (0xc2x0 C.) unless otherwise specified. All measurements are in SI units unless otherwise specified. All documents cited are in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference.